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The bodies of seven migrants were discovered by the Greek coast guard on Friday near the north Aegean islands of Oinousses, east of Chios island, Greek daily Kathimerini reported.

Five bodies - two women and three children - were the first discovered when a dinghy carrying 19 passengers capsized in the Aegean Sea. The bodies of a baby and a 4-year old were found later.

All passengers were Turkish citizens, according to Kathimerini’s report.

Twelve people, including three children under six, were rescued by the Greek authorities.

Thousands of Turks have fled their home country since a failed coup attempt in 2016. The Turkish government implemented a two-year after the coup attempt, jailing tens of thousands of people it said were linked to the Gülen religious movement, which is held responsible for the attempted putsch.

There has also been a surge of migrants attempting to cross from Turkish shores to the Greek islands in recent weeks thanks to an influx of asylum seekers from Syria, reports say.

As per an agreement with the EU, Turkey has taken measures to drastically reduce the number of attempted crossings since 2016.